


Fix a heart.{Discontinued}

by KayomiKitten



Category: Undertale (Video Game), underswap
Genre: Abuse, Eating Disorders, Fluff and Angst, Fontcest, Honey Mustard - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, More tags will be added later, Multi, Nightmares, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicide, first fanfic of my life, idk what im doing help
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-07-22 09:47:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7430965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayomiKitten/pseuds/KayomiKitten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Years of abuse from his brother has finally left  ufsans at his wits end. After a particularly bad fight, he's had enough, and decides to dust himself. </p>
<p>He wakes up in a topsy turvy world where everyone is not only acting opposite, but sickly sweet. It's disgusting, confusing, and enticing all at once. </p>
<p>Will he be able to adjust to his new home?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dust

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> So this is my first fanfic ever! I am a bit nervous about posting it, but please enjoy! I hope people like it! Feel free to give me feedback and let me know what you think!

Being a 1HP monster made it easy to think about death. 

Even before all the abuse started. Even back when boss was just a baby bones. Before everything in life turned to shit, and there was some small sliver at happiness. Even back then it was still in the back of his mind. How easy would it be? Just provoke some random dipshit off the street, let them hit him a few times, and he was as good as dust. 

It never happened though. No matter how many times he's found himself staring at the endless black abyss of death, he's never quite managed to throw himself into it. Believe me, it wasn't from lack of trying. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many times he's "forgotten" to eat or "accidentally" gotten into a fight with a stronger monster. And it wasn't like he was scared to die or anything. Whatever was waiting for him after death, deity or endless nothingness, it had to be better than the hell hole that was currently his life. 

No, he wanted to die. He had wanted to die practically all his life. But something way always holding him back. Like a rope tied to his soul, keeping him from running away from his life. That rope, was boss. 

Sans could still remember the first time he'd laid his sockets on boss. So small and cute and smiley and perfect. That's what boss was, plain and simple, he was perfect. Ever since that day, sans made a promise. He would do whatever it took to make sure boss was taken care of, and he stuck by that promise. This was easier said than done. In a world where food and supplies were so hard to comeby, Sans saw only one logical option: give 90% of everything to boss. Sans would eat only what he absolutely had to in order to survive. Sometimes he wouldn't sleep for days, so he could keep watch and make sure boss got enough rest. 

With all the food and supplies being used on him, it probably won't be a surprise to know that boss soon started growing like a weed. By age 8 he was the same size as sans, if not a little narrower. By age 12 , boss was towering over him by at least a foot. Sans was a pretty small skeleton to begin with, and all the years of malnutrition and generally bad self care didn't exactly make him grow big and strong. Sans couldn't have been happier about it though. Just seeing his baby brother grow into such a tall, strong monster made all the years of suffering worth it for him. 

Things really started to go downhill when boss was 16. One day, sans was on his way home from work. He'd managed to snag a job as a sentry at the entrance of Snowdin. The hours were long and the pay was rough, but it was money. Money meant more food and better shelter for his brother. After a grueling 16 hour shift with no break, sans could barely keep his eyes open on the way home. He accidently bumped into some buff wolf monster, and you can probably imagine what happened next. 

He was as good as dust, if Papyrus hadn't stepped in and saved him. Ever since that day, Papyrus has insisted that Sans call him "boss" and essentially be his slave. Sans agreed willingly. He had never seen his bro- err his boss look so disgusted with him. Sans had never cared much about himself, but that was first day he ever truly felt self hatred. 

Around this time, he started chipping away at his arm bones, careful to wear long sleeves around boss. It was his way of punishing himself for being so pathetic. He wouldn't eat for days, sometimes a week at a time. If boss was around he'd use his magic to form a stomach and then force himself to vomit it up later. It was messy, uncomfortable business but he told himself that he deserved it. 

His relationship with boss kept deteriorating too. Boss started training to be a royal guard soon after the fight and things got bad. Very bad. Something about the training changed boss. He was never happy or calm or even sad. He was just angry, all the time. The anger was taken out on sans. Beatings, broken bones, flecks of dust in the air. All while screaming about how sans had to "toughen up" and "get stronger" 

Last night was particularly bad. Sans was sporting a few new cracks and fractures but that wasn't the worst part. Last night was the first time that boss had ever uttered the words "I Hate You." They hit sans harder than any physical attack ever could. All at once he went numb. He stopped crying, talking, begging, he just lay there and took it. Once boss had his fill, he stormed off, leaving a chipped pile of bones on the dirty floor. Sans barely felt the pain, the same thought echoing in his mind like someone had infested his brain with echo flowers. 

Boss hates me. Boss hates me. Boss hates me. Boss hates me. Boss hates me. 

He was numb. He couldn't sleep last night. He couldn't cry or scream or even talk he was just so numb. Not even chipping helped. Nothing mattered. Boss hated him. He'd failed. 

The morning light began pooling in from his window. He stood stiffly from the bed and walked over to the mirror. Disgusting. Worthless. Piece of shit. Boss would be coming to wake him up soon. Sans felt his soul twinge with guilt. He didn't want boss to have to see him. He didn't want to be a burden anymore. He called his hideous, scarred soul out of his chest and held it in his hand. Running his finger over the delicate edge, he thought of how easy it would be. 

"are you really going to do this?" His reflection asked, devoid of any emotion. 

He heard boss thumping around down the hall. Shit, he had to act fast. A few minutes and he'd be in here. No time to think or make a note or say goodbye. This is it. He encased the grey soul in his magic, holding it it place, and summoned a bone. He barely had time to register the doorknob turning, when he impaled his soul with the sharpened bone


	2. Sans?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoi.  
> Thanks for the kudos/bookmarks/comments and such on the last chapter. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but it made me really happy. :)  
> Enjoy the new chapter. I'll try to update regularly!

Pain. 

Searing. Mind numbing. White hot pain. 

That's all he could feel. That's all he could process. His vision went completely blank, the scene in front of him changing into just a bright white light. This only added to the burning agony. It came in ripples from his soul and radiated over his entire body. It felt like every single atom in his bones was being ripped apart and then smashed violently back together. 

He tried to scream, but he couldn't find his voice. He tried to cry, but he couldn't feel his sockets. He tried to run, but he couldn't feel his legs. He tried to move, but he couldn't feel his body. He tried to breathe, but his nonexistent lungs refused. He tried to call for help, but no sound came out. 

After what felt like eons of time, the corners of his vision finally started to grow dark. The pain was being replaced with a numb sensation. Starting in the tips of his phalanges and slowly but surely spreading over his body. It was a welcome change from the searing hot pain. Finally he could start to properly feel his small body again. Inch by slow inch the cooling numbness made it way up and over him, until only his soul was burning. 

It was a beautiful feeling. Like being submerged under an ocean of cooled silk. So relaxing and calm, he felt content. The pain in his soul was even starting to subside. The events of earlier all but forgotten in his mind as he let himself drift further into the silky smooth nothingness surrounding him. He sighed happily, feeling safe and content for the first time in his life. 

He hoped this would never end. 

xxxx

Paps took a slow dag of his cigarette, listening to the sound of the snow crunching under his feet. The cold winter air blew around him, but he barely felt it under his thick hoodie. He was making his way home at a leisurely pace. He saw no reason to rush, napping at his sentry post all day made him bone tired after all. 

He made his way towards town, normally he'd take a shortcut, but he opted to take the scenic route today. Nothing wrong with saving a little magic, and this way he'd probably run into sans on his way home. He'd get to hear all about San's puzzles and the fighting moves he'd practiced on the training dummy that day. Man, his brother was so cool. 

A flash of red light catches his eye. He stops and turns for a better look. Deep in the forest, almost hidden away, is a short, plump looking figure. It almost looked like Sans.. but since when can sans teleport? And since when is his magic red? No that can't be sans, he confirms to himself. 

He takes a cautious step toward the figure, hoping it isn't dangerous. He's not worried about himself, he can hold his own if need be. It's sans that worries him. He's very protective of his younger brother. Seeing someone you love die over and over will do that to you. He frowns at the figure, which seems to be swaying a bit. Are they alright? They don't seem very stable. Maybe he should call out to it? He clears his throat. 

Suddenly a shrill, blood curdling scream erupts through the air. It's short, loud, and dripping with agony. At the same time, the figure falls to the ground ungracefully. Paps's sockets widen and in a blink he teleports himself next to the figure. Dangerous or not, that was the sound of someone in pure pain, he couldn't just ignore that. His mouth fell open at the sight in front of him. 

It's Sans. 

Except it's not. 

Except it is. 

There was no denying this skeletons resemblance to his brother. Right down to the curvature of his sockets, though this one had a long scar running over one of his. His face was contorted into a look of horrific pain. His body weakly thrashed and convulsed. Sharp-toothed mouth hanging open, the only sounds coming from the small monster being mangled cries of pain. He didn't even seem conscious, the movements were most definitely not voluntary. 

The visual broke Papyrus's heart. Looking at this little guy suffer, all he could see was Sans, his brother. Whoever he was, this guy was too much like Sans for him to ignore. He bent down and wrapped his bony arms around the twitching figure, almost instantly jumping back. This guy was burning up. It felt like his bones were actually on fire. Paps wondered if it was the sporadic wisps of red magic emanating from him, seeming desperate to stabilize itself. What could have happened to this kid? 

He hesitated, not wanting to feel the searing heat again. But he couldn't just stand there. What ever burn he got, it was nothing compared to what this guy has to be feeling. Paps grit his teeth holding back onto the skeleton, and teleported to his bedroom. Once there, he gently placed the smaller skeleton on his bed. He withdrew the monster's soul, hoping to heal or at the very least numb the pain a bit. He gasped at the sight of it. 

It was dull, shriveled and scared all to hell. The cracks alone were alarming, but papyrus was more worried about the center. The center of the soul was sporting a deep gash. It was wide, splintered, and cherry red magic was flowing from it liberally. How... how was this guy not dust? 

Papyrus demanded himself to focus. He willed his magic to encase the shuddering soul gently and get to work. Heal. Numb. Heal. Numb. He commanded over and over and over. He never once took his eyes off the soul which looked like it was going to go out at any second. No, he couldn't allow that. Though he know nothing about this small skeleton, he couldn't let him die. It would be like seeing his brother die all over again. Not happening. 

He kept at it for what felt like hours, even when he began to feel the drain on his magic he didn't stop. It didn't matter, after his long nap today he could afford to lose some. Besides, if needed one of his bros tacos would fix him right up. After several agonizing moments, the little guy finally stopped thrashing and crying out. He slowed to a soft trembling, which eventually stilled. 

Papyrus let out a long sigh, running a hand over the back of his vertebrae and skull. He felt the sweat droplets there, feeling the tiredness all of a sudden. Damn he was exhausted. His magic was depleted too. Not to a dangerous level, but he should still probably eat something. But, would this dude be alright alone in here? 

There was still a soft orange glow encasing the small form. Papyrus frowned staring at him, hoping his healing worked well enough. The small notsans suddenly let out a sigh. It was a comfortable and content sigh, while his skull moved a bit, as if trying to nuzzle into the magic more. Paps couldn't help but chuckle. This guy even had the same mannerisms as Sans, who would do similar things when Paps healed him. It wasn't often, but sometimes he'd work too hard in training and need to be cared for a bit. 

This little dude was so much like sans, and yet not at the same time. 

How can that be?

Papyrus's soul made a soft rumble, similar to a hunger pang for humans. He sighed and turned to exit the room. The small skeleton wasn't getting up anytime soon. He could figure all this shit out after her had some food.

And a cigarette.


	3. Wowzers!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again for the support it means a lot!
> 
> I am really loving working on this story right now! I'm not sure how long the daily updates will happen but as I said, I'll try to keep the chapters coming regularly! 
> 
> I am not sure how I feel about this chapter but let me know what you guys think. 
> 
> I'm not entirely sure about Blueberries dialog yet, feedback would be appreciated!

The front door opens with a bang, the round little skeleton comes bounding in. His battle body clanking against his bones slightly. He marches straight into the house, starred pupils scanning the room for his brother. He finds the familiar lump of orange sitting on the couch, his face twisting into a slight frown as he spotted the cigarette in the taller skeletons mouth. 

"BROTHER! THE MAGNIFICENT SANS IS HOME!" He announces loudly, it would have been startling if Papyrus wasn't used to his brothers loud outbursts. 

"Hey bro." Paps answered, looking up lazily from the couch. He couldn't help but smile, after being around the notsans for so long, it was relief to see his actual brother. No scars, not in pain, perfectly fine. 

"Papyrus! What have I told you about smoking in the house?!" Sans scolded him, placing his gloved hands on his hips. Paps let out a sigh, head falling back onto the couch. 

"Sorry bro, long day." He began, flicking the cigarette out when Sans looked at him expectantly, and then continuing. "I found someone in the forest an-" 

"WAS IT A HUMAN?!" Sans interrupts him excitedly, he shakes his head

"Nope, it was another skeleton actually." The stars in his brothers sockets got wider and brighter. 

"Wowzers! Another skeleton? Really!?" He asked excitedly, Paps smiled and nodded at his brothers excitement. He knew Sans would be excited, this was the first skeleton besides themselves to ever turn up here. 

"Yup." 

"Where is he? Is it even a he? Can I meet them? Are they here? Do they like hugs? Mweh! Of course they like hugs! I wonder if they like puzzles. I hope so, this town needs more puzzle loving skeletons!" Sans was practically shaking with excitement.

"Relax bro." Papyrus said with a soft smile, even though knowing that 'relax' was a word that did not compute in his brother's brain. "He's up in my room, he was hurt so I-" He doesn't get to finish his thought as Sans is already sprinting up the stairs. 

"Sans wait! Dammit..." He swore under his breath hearing his bedroom door fling open and Sans yelling "HELLO NEW BEST FRIEND!" 

Paps teleported to his room, feeling slightly dizzy at the further drain on his magic. He hoped the notsans, who he really needed to come up with a proper name for, was still sleeping. Though that was unlikely with how loud Sans was. To his relief, the sleeping skeleton was still just that. Sans was staring at the bed, seemingly speechless . 

"Sans?" Papyrus asked softly, eyeing his brothers stunned expression. They stand in silence for a bit. Sans watching the stranger, Paps watching Sans. 

"Wowzers.." Sans finally breaks the silence, trying to speak softly despite being excited still. "He looks just like me!" 

He takes a step forward, examining the small pile of bones on the bed. Paps does the same thing, actually studying the skeleton for the first time. His shape and size is almost identical to Sans, but he's a bit smaller. His teeth were sharpened into serrated points, one of which was gold. He's dressed in all black, dark red, and gold, the only exception being the tan fun lining the hood of his jacket. Most of his bones were covered by fabric, but the bones that weren't were in bad shape. Cracks and little chips missing in them. His slowly rising and falling ribcage being the only indication of him being alive.

"He really does bro." With the two of them in the same room, you could really see how similar they looked. 

"But... why does he look so..." Sans paused, frowning, trying to find the right word. 

"Edgy?" Paps offered, Sans shook his head. 

"Broken." You can hear the genuine sorrow in his voice over the misfortune of the stranger. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know sans, I found him like this." Paps says with a shrug, Sans looks thoughtful. 

"Well, if he's as hurt as he looks, he's gonna need food when he wakes up!" Sans declares, eyes blazing bright. "Look after him Papy! I, the magnificent sans must go and whip up some delicious tacos! Mweh heh heh heh!" His voice softer than it's usual shout but no less excited. 

"Sure thing bro." Paps said with a smile, watching his brother rush from the room. 

He sat on the edge of the bed, glancing over at the sleeping body next to him. So dark and edgy, yet so small and dare he even say cute. He still can't decide if this guy is a potential threat or not. From the look of him, he probably gets into a lot of fights. That wasn't a good sign. If only there was a way to tell... Paps frowned, smacking himself in the head. Stats. Why hadn't he thought to check this guys stats before. Fucking idiot. 

Papy turned his full attention to the small notsans, focusing his sockets on the center of his chest. The spot where his soul should be. It would be easier to do if he took the soul out, but souls are delicate and it's better not to disturb them if possible. The healing was different, this guy would have died without the healing magic. Papyrus was sure of it. He concentrated on seeing the soul, reading it like a book. 

"Huh." Paps mumbled softly. This guy had 1HP just like him. How bout that. Some EXP, a tiny amount of LV. To be honest, that was a bit alarming but not too bad. He'd seen monsters with more than that who never laid a finger on his brother. Turns out this guys name was also Sans, which wasn't that shocking considering how much they looked alike. Anyway, the name wasn't what threw Papyrus off. It was the word next to his name, one Papyrus wasn't sure he'd even seen before. 

Sans: Underfell. 

Underfell? What's an underfell? Why does the word sound so familiar? He concentrated, trying to think back to some of the many resets he's lived through. Maybe he knows what it means but he's forgotten? Sighing in frustration, he pulled his own soul to see his own stats. Hoping it would somehow jog his memory a bit. Nothing new at a glance, he focussed more. Then suddenly there it was. Papyrus:Underswap. 

Oh great, more new words...

Underswap? Well what the hell's an Undersw- oh. 

oh.

It suddenly clicked in his nonexistent brain, well sort of. He still didn't have all the answers, but he had a hunch he knew what was going on now. He needed to see Undyne. Immediately.


	4. Wakey wakey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit you guys. I cannot thank you enough for all your sweet comments and all the kudos and everything. Literally makes my day every single day. 
> 
> I hope you all continue to enjoy, and as always feedback is more than welcome :)

Papyrus grits his teeth in annoyance at the error message on his phone. Dammit, Undyne must have changed her number...again. This meant he'd have to go all the way to Waterfall to speak to her, adding more complications to this already headache inducing situation. Although it would be kinda nice to see Undyne again, god how long had it been? Months? A year? 

"PAPYRUS! IS HE AWAKE YET? THE TACOS ARE DONE!" Sans yelled up the stairs, pulling Paps out of his thoughts. He gave one last glance to the sleeping sans on the bed, and left the room.

"Nah he's still passed out." He tells his brother making his way down the stairs. Sans, the non sleeping one, pouted at him but soon recovered. 

"Very well, I shall put his tacos in the fridge for when he gets up!" He announces dashing back into the kitchen. God, what Paps wouldn't do for a fraction of his brothers energy. 

"Sounds good bro." 

Paps entered the kitchen to find Sans, the non edgy one, carefully wrapping up a plate with at least five tacos on it. Why five? Eh who cares. He plops down in his seat at the table, smiling upon finding a bottle of honey there. God did he love honey. He'd eat that shit with anything and everything, even by itself. It even made san's tacos edible! He smothered a taco in honey and began to chow down. 

"Hey sans," he mumbles in between bites, causing the little blue stars to look up at him. "Do you happen to have Undyne's phone number? The one I have didn't work." 

"I believe I do brother! Just a moment!" He digs his phone out and scans through it for a moment before reciting the number. Papyrus shakes his head. 

"That's the one I already tried. Eh I'll just have to go to Waterfall tomorrow." 

"Hmmm." Sans looks thoughtful for a moment. "You know papy, I pass through Waterfall on my way to train with Alphys. I could stop by Undyne's house and tell her to call you if you want?" 

'Heh thanks bro, that'd be great." 

"Of course! You can always rely on me! What did you need to talk to her about anyway?" 

'Well I need to ask her some questions about, uh other sans." Papyrus explained, pointing in the general direction of his own room. Sans perks up, eyes widening 

"Wowzers! His name is Sans too?! Wait how do you know that??" 

"I checked his stats." Sans leaned in a bit, interest clearly peaked.

"What did you find out?"

"Some interesting stuff, he's got 1HP like me. I think I'm starting to understand who he is, but I don't have all the pieces yet. That's why I need to see Undyne." Papyrus explained slowly. Sans, his sans, was never big into science. He was no idiot though. Paps knew he'd understand if he just explained it properly. Sans took a moment to think before glancing back at Papyrus. 

"So, who is he?" He asked, Papyrus sighed trying to think of the easiest way to tell Sans his theory. 

"I think, and this could be completely wrong," He emphasized the last half of the sentence, sans nodded 'I think... he's you but... from somewhere else." 

"Me.." Sans whispered the word in wonderment. He stared at the table for a moment before turning his attention back to Papy. "What do you mean, somewhere else?" He asked. To paps surprise he didn't sound scared, or shocked or worried, just excited. Ah, he's so freakin cool.

Papyrus chuckled softly at his brother. "Don't know, that's what I need to talk to Undyne for."

As they finished dinner, Paps stood up and glanced at the stairs. "Hey I'm gonna go go check on, uh Sans.... This is really confusing we need to come up with a nickname for him." Sans nodded slowly as they both thought. 

"What about... Red?" Paps mused out loud. "He does wear a lot of red, and his magics red so, why not?" 

"That's a wonderful idea Papy! I'm proud of you for thinking of it!" Sans said with a smile. 

"Heh, thanks bro." Papyrus smiled back before heading up the stairs slowly. 

He reached his bedroom door, and hesitated. Was red awake? Should he knock? It was his room, but would it be rude to just barge in on the little guy? He'd probably still be asleep but... ah fuck it. He knocked anyway, and was answered soft distressed whine. Instantly he swung the door open and looked inside. The sound wasn't urgent but it was still unpleasant. 

He finds red, still on the bed sleeping, but having an apparent nightmare. Papyrus frowned and took a step forward, unsure of what to do. Nightmares were not fun, at all. He knew that first hand. He sat on the bed next to red who was crying out softly. He hesitantly leaned over and held the small skeletons face. "Shhh." He whispered, noting the way Red seemed to unconsciously press into his hand more. 

"b-bro..." He whined softly, Paps blinked. Well, if he was another sans, perhaps there was another Papyrus. Maybe this Sans had the same nightmares he did? Maybe he too saw his own brother turning to dust in his dreams. "pap.." Red called desperately tears falling down his sleeping face. Papyrus frowned, perhaps he could try and make it better? He was a Papyrus after all. Even if he wasn't the one this sans was calling for. 

He laid down next to red, wrapping his arms around his small trembling form. He slowly started pulling the skeleton closer, waiting for resistance, but only finding him moaning his name louder, desperate for more. He cuddled red close to his chest, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "I'm here sans, I'm here. Papyrus is here." He whispered softly. Red whimpered, nuzzling into Paps hoodie. Papyrus stroked the back of his skull, whispering more. "I'm safe sans, we're both safe. Everything is fine." 

The trembling and whimpers subsided and were replaced with slow steady breathing. The room fell into quiet, the only sound being occasional snores from Red. Paps smiled down at him. Holding him like this, reminded him of when Sans used to sleep in his bed. He was just a little baby bones at the time, but they'd lay just like this. Every single night. Back then, Sans always wanted to be next right to Papy. 

It was a bit different though. For one thing, Reds bones weren't smooth like Sans's. He could feel it, ever so slightly. The jagged bits of missing bone scratching him just the smallest bit. Paps didn't mind, it felt nice. The other thing Papyrus took note of, was Reds warmth. Maybe it was the leftover magic from his freak out, or maybe it was the big fuzzy coat he had on. But either way, Red was a higher temperature than his Sans. He wasn't blazing hot anymore, he was just warm. Comfortably warm. He yawned slightly, the full nonexistent stomach and warmth of red next to him causing him to feel sleepy. He felt himself begin to drift off.  
xxxxx

Papyrus awoke with a bang, as he was violently thrown out of bed and shoved against the wall. He could barely process what was going on, he blinked and saw a flash of red. Wait, red where's red? He glanced up to see Red, standing inches in front of him. His serrated mouth twisted into a maniacal grin, his left eye lit up with violent red flames, his hand holding a sharpened bone that was pointing directly at Paps chest. 

"listen up asshole, cuz im only gonna ask ya this once." Red spoke after a moment, his voice lower and more gruff than sans. When he spoke again, his voice was an even lower growl. "where, the fuck, is my brother?"


	5. Papyrus?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for the response. I can't even tell you how happy it makes me to read the sweet comments. I've been a smiley mess the past few days thanks to you guys 
> 
> I might go back and change this chapter up, I don't know how happy I am with it. Let me know what you guys think though. 
> 
> Welp. Time to go hide while people decide if they hate the chapter or not. :3

Sans hoped it would never end. This feeling of cool silky nothingness around him. It was so relaxing, and slightly numbing at the same time. Sans could stay like this forever. Blissfully unable to feel his aching bones, or the frumpy worn out mattress below him. All too soon though, he begins to feel his bones and the space around him again. 

Well it was nice while it lasted. 

Sans kept his eyes closed as the feelings returned, not willing to give into consciousness just yet. His bones were sore, he could feel it already. His soul was quivering from the nightmare he knew he'd had but thankfully couldn't remember. He felt the cool air lightly flowing over his bones, it felt nice. It reminded him of the beautiful cooling numbness from before. 'c'mon dreams, gimmie something..' he begged in his head, but it was no use, he was waking up. 

Eh probably for the best, boss would be in here to kick his ass out of bed soon anyway. He should really just get up, but dammit he was so comfortable. His old tattered bed is surprisingly comfy. And the blanket his face is buried in is a lot softer and thicker than he remembered. He nuzzled further into it, noting the scent. It smelled like cigarettes and yet something sweet at the same time. Honey? Weird combination, but not unpleasant. Sans begrudgingly opened his eyes and was met with an endless sea of orange. 

Startled, he tried to push away from the orange mass of fabric. Only to find himself caged in someones arms. Wait, what the fuck, someone's...holding him in his sleep? Between his thick coat and the plush orange fabric he hadn't felt the others arms or body at all. He took a deep calming breath. 'relax it's just boss. he must be going into heat again.' He reasoned to himself, although the idea of boss being in heat made him panic a bit more. It made sense though, boss always got cuddly right before going into heat. 

Sans felt himself shaking slightly, and teleported swiftly out of the bed. It would only end badly for him if he woke up his brother. He wobbled a bit on his feet, god how long had he been out? He steadied himself on the wall, which was oddly flat, not dented at all. For the first time, sans took a proper look around the room. His panic doubled. 

This was boss's room, it had to be. It was identical right down to the floor boards and the placement of the window. This had to be boss's room. But why did it look so different. It was brighter, for one thing. The light from the window poured in liberally, not blocked out by the thick black curtains that Sans was used to. The dark maroon paint on the wall was replaced with a soft pale beige color. Furthermore, the skeleton sleeping in boss's bed was not boss. They looked eerily similar, but there was no way. Boss looked intimidating even in his sleep. This guy looked like a damn puppy dog, all cute and snuggled up. It made Sans want to vomit. 

In an instance his fear was replaced with rage. He felt his eye starting to glow in response. With a flick of his wrist, the orange sack of bones on the bed was tossed across the room. He hit the wall with an "oof" eye sockets darting around the room. Sans summoned a bone and grinned wickedly at the pinned monster, who seems to be struggling to take in the whole scene. 

"listen up asshole, casue im only gonna ask ya this once. where the fuck is my brother?" He growled. Sans was weak, but he could look fucking scary if he needed to. It came in handy. Most monsters wouldn't fuck with you if you looked intimidating enough. Well, ones that weren't total idiots that is. He grit his teeth in annoyance, the dude on the wall was taking too long to answer. 

"well? im fuckin waiting." 

"I am your brother." He says, sans scoffs. 

"you lying mother fucker how dumb do you think i am?" Wall dude shook his head. 

"You didn't let me finish. I am your brother technically, but it's complicated. Let me down and I can explain.."

"you can explain from up there." The tall skeleton suddenly smirks. 

"You won't trust me even if I tell you. Why don't you look for yourself?" 

"look where?" 

"You know what I mean don't be an ass about it." He nods down at his own chest. "Check my stats, my soul can't lie can it?" 

Sans grumbles but looks anyway. Concentrating on the fluttering soul in the tall one's chest. It felt so odd to do this. Looking at someone's soul is such an invasion of privacy. But this guy was offering so, he took advantage. 1HP? Good. That would make it easier to dust this asshole later if he had to. Sans lazily scanned over the information, and then froze. The lights in his sockets going out. 

Papyrus: Underswap. 

"You see it don't you?" The wall Papyrus asks, sans stands stiff as, well as a bone. Reading the words over and over again. No. No it can't be. This guy, this fucking fluffy weakling can't be a Papyrus. But at the same time, like dude said, souls can't lie. Sighing in defeat, he let the notpapyrus drop to the floor. 

They stare at each other for a few tense moments, before the orange one speaks. "So? Are we good?" Sans growls in frustration. 

"you aint my bro." He begins, Papyrus rolls his eyes. 

"Didn't ask if I was your bro, asked if we were good." He points out calmly. 

"let me finish you dick. you aint my bro...but you are a papyrus. there's no getting around that, souls don't lie." He huffed, looking away from the tall hoodied skeleton. "yeah, we're good. brother or not, i can't hurt a papyrus." He mumbles softly, followed by more tense silence. Eventually Papyrus speaks up again. 

"I assume you must have questions. Don't give me that look, we both have an idea of what's going on." He was right, but sans didn't want to admit it. 

"dunno what you mean." 

"Oh don't play dumb with me, Sans." sans shuddered at the use of his real name. Boss hadn't called him sans in years. Papyrus either didn't notice or didn't respond. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. No idea how you can be here, but you are so let's just deal with it."

"fine." 

Papyrus turns and heads for the door. "C'mon then, I'll show you around the house. I think my bro might explode if he doesn't get to meet you soon." Sans frowned, watching him exit the room. A familiar itch coming from his arm bones as he fought back the need to scratch at them. The stress of the current situation making his phalanges twitch with the urge to chip. 

Why would anyone want to meet him? He's nothing, he's lower than dirt. Still.. the idea of meeting another Sans... his curiosity wins over and he follows Papyrus out the door.


	6. Tacos and Blueberries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo.
> 
> Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter done. I've been in a bit of a bad place mentally the past few days. I am in the process of snapping out of it. I have also been struggling a bit with character development. I've never had to work with someone else's characters before so it's been a challenge. However, thanks to sir snas I have a better idea of how I want to write it. (So thanks for that friend.)
> 
> Thanks once again for the support and the comments. I am so glad you guys like the story so far. :) 
> 
> Not gonna lie, this chapter kinda sucks but I'm tired of working on it. So here ya go :'D

Red followed the hoodie clad skeleton out of the room and down the hall. Through the house which was identical to his, yet different at the same. It was less damaged for one thing. Red's house had taken almost as many beatings from boss over the years as Red. The stair rail isn't missing as many chunks as the one in Red's home, but the same steps still creak. Red avoids those steps out of habit. 

"so uh, how long was i out?" Red asks Papyrus as they make it to the bottom of the stairs. 

"Eh, not sure. You weren't exactly um.. awake when I found you." He began to explain. Before red could respond, a loud voice rang out from the kitchen.

"PAPY! IS THAT YOU?" The voice was similar to Red's but more high pitched and a bit squeaky. Also the skeleton attached to it doesn't sound like he's been deepthroating sand paper... "I WAS FINISHING UP THE DISHES AND THOUGHT I HEARD YOUR VOICE, IS RED AWAKE YET?" The voice boomed, Red blinked while Papyrus chuckled softly at the excited tone of the voice. 

"Yeah bro, he's up." Papyrus calls lazily into the kitchen before turning to whisper at red. "Brace yourself." 

"wha-?" Red can't finish the thought as something small and blue crashes into him. He blinks and stiffens as small boney arms wrap around him hugging him hard. His skull ends up pressed someone's chest. The figure in front of him practically shaking with excitement. Red's slightly shaking too, but for a very different reason. What's happening? Why's someone hugging him? When was the last time someone hugged him? This is feels...wrong. 

"Greetings Red! I am the magnificent sensational Sans! I'm so happy to meet you, we're gonna be best friends! Are you hungry? Do you like tacos? I made you lots of them so you could recover your strength when you woke up! I'll go heat them up for you!" 

The small blue skeleton lets go of red and runs back to the kitchen. Red is left staring after him, still trembling slightly. His head spinning with emotion and confusion. 

He'd been hugged. It was a strange sensation, boss never hugged him. Except when he was about to go into heat *shudder* and that wasn't really hugging so much as boss keeping a death grip on him in his sleep. A boney hand waving in front of his face pulls red from his own head. He glances over at Papyrus who's staring at him, brow bones raised. 

"Red? You good friendo?" 

"why d'you keep callin me red?" 

"Two sans', it'd get confusing." Papyrus said with a shrug, red sighed. Secretly he was glad they weren't calling him by his name, but he wasn't about to say that. Like boss always told him, letting emotions show was a sign of weakness. 

"k, but why red? makes me sound like a damn crayon or something." He grumbled. 

"Language!" The blue sans from the kitchen yells while the orange Papyrus chuckled. 

"You wear lots of red?" 

"well why do i gotta be the color, make him the color. " Red grumbles more waving his arm in the general . Blue sans announces the tacos are done and they both shuffle in. 

'Uh, he is the sans of this universe." Red frowns watching the little blue guy. He's so...happy. There's a spring in his step and stars in his eyes. He's whistling what sounds like one of Metatron's show tunes. He was so different from red, he couldn't be a sans. 

"no way." 

"No way what?" The small, though not as small as red, skeleton asks curiously. 

"no way you're a sans." Red tells him, he frowns.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm a sans! What else would I be?" 

"eh." Red looks him up and down taking him in. He's small, blue and round. "you're more of a blueberry." He says with a grin, half meaning the nickname as an insult. Blue looks back at him for a moment, while Papyrus goes into a mild laughing fit.Red searches for any hint of offense on his face but all he finds is a wide smile. 

"Aha! I get it! You're intimidated by my greatness Red! You want to make me seem less frightful by comparing me to something soft and sweet!" Blue sans chirps at him, red blinks. 

Is this dude serious? 

"MWEH HEH HEH! Fear not, dear Red! You may call me blueberry if that makes you feel less frightened by me!" He says happily, turning back to the tacos he was plating. Papyrus pulls up a chair and plops down, still giggling a bit. 

"Blueberry huh? Actually fits pretty well." He mumbles the last part of the sentence so blue won't hear. "Hey what about me?"

"what about you?" red asks his question back raising a nonexistent eyebrow. 

"Well you have a Papyrus back home right? Do you need to give me a nickname so you don't get confused?" Red can't help it. He barks out a laugh.

"no thanks man. you may be a papyrus, but you're nothing like boss." Paps frowns.

"You call your brother boss? Why?"

" s'a long story bucko." He says simply. 

On the outside, red was calm and even a bit amused by the taller ones expression. On the inside though, he was ashamed. Ashamed of how weak he was. How he was a burden on his boss. How he was pathetic and stupid and didn't deserve to call boss by his name, let alone all him brother. Red snapped out of it as a plate of tacos was placed in front of him. 

oh. food. 

'you don't deserve to eat this.' His brain told him, not that it needed to. He already knew.

"Eat up!" Blue tells him as he awkwardly pushed the food around his plate. "I made them special for you!"

Red searched his brain, but he was unable to come up with an excuse. He couldn't say he wasn't hungry, you could hear his soul growling from a mile away. Sighing in defeat, he silently formed an ectostomach, planning to take care of it properly later. He didn't enjoy doing that, he really didn't. It'd be so much easier to just not eat in the first place, but what choice did he have? He didn't want to refuse the enthusiastic little berry. Something about him reminded Red of when boss was younger. 

Blue watches expectantly as he pulls up a taco. He examines it for a moment. He's never had one before. Boss cooked mainly pasta, not that sans ate much of what cooked anyway. It looks...weird. But it smells rather enticing. He laces it into his mouth biting down slightly. His sockets widen slightly the crispy shell and fixings fall into his open jaw. 

The taste is indescribable.


	7. Authors Note(Not a chapter)

Hey guys! 

This is not a chapter, just a few things I wanted to address! I will try not to get too rambly, but I apologize in advance if I fail at that. 

First things first, I am very sorry about the recent drama on here. If it made you uncomfortable or upset in anyway I am so deeply sorry. It makes me sad that some people feel the need to be so horrible and negative. I am very tempted to go back and delete all comments related to the subject. So if a lot of comments randomly disappear, you'll know why. 

In light of the drama on here, I have decided to enable comment moderation. Basically this means any comments, at least for the time being, will have to be approved by me. I don't want you guys to think I am trying to take your voice away by doing this, or that I'm trying to avoid criticism on my story. That is not my intention at all, I love hearing from you guys! I hope to disable the moderation in the future. But at the moment someone is attacking me and bringing up very personal things. I am doing this as a way to defend myself from that.

For those of you asking me, I am okay. I am okay as I can be right now. I am still a bit fragile and shaky, but I'm getting there. To quote one of my favorite songs: "All my windows, still are broken, but I'm standing on my feet." You all don't need to worry about me, I have an amazing support system of friends to help me through this rough time. 

Speaking of which, I wanted to address Snas. I wanted to clarify a few things to avoid any confusion. Yes, he is my friend. There is a good chance you guys will not not see him on here as much. This is simply becasue our conversations have moved to a private setting. So if you notice the lack of talking between us on here, don't go thinking we stopped talking casue of the 'Nony' user or that we're fighting or anything like that(quite the opposite actually. He is one of the sweetest, kindest people I've ever met. Literally like a big fluffy teddy bear pretending to be a human/skeleton. I am so lucky to call the guy my friend you don't even understand.). 

Almost done I promise! I also wanted to mention that I am having surgery in about two or three weeks. Nothing major, I'm fine don't worry! However It is going to be about a two week recovery, during which I will probably not do much writing. I will try to get some chapters done before then, but if I randomly disappear for a while in early August, that's why. 

I think that's it. Thanks for all the amazing support it means the absolute world to me. I will try to post the next chapter soon! <3


	8. The eject button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoiiii
> 
> So many of you guys have been asking for the angst, so here you go!! I have never written angst before so I hope it's okay! 
> 
> Thank you for all the amazing support, you guys are incredible. You motivate me to want to keep going with the story. Love you all to death. <3
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: Self induced vomiting/Eating disorder. If this will affect you negatively in any way please please do not read.

The tacos slowly filled the ecto stomach until there was no room left. It didn't take many of them to reach capacity. Despite being a pudgy little guy, red had a relatively small stomach. All the years of barely eating caused it to shrink down considerably from its natural size. After only 1 full taco and 3/4s of another one, he pushed the plate away gently. 

"You don't have to stop Red, Paps and I already ate! Please eat as many as you want!" Berry exclaimed with a slight frown as Red pushed the still pretty full plate away from himself. 

Eat as many as he wanted? To be honest, he wanted to eat none. What's it to blueberry anyway? 

'why's he tryin to get me to eat?'

" 'm full." Red says, and he means it, in a sense. His ecto stomach is full, almost feels stretched a bit. It's been awhile since he's used it at all. Boss had started being around less and less the past few months. It was hard on Red, he missed boss like crazy. But it did mean he didn't have to pretend to eat as much. However, is soul is just barely satiated. The food he's eaten, combined with the long rest he had is enough to keep it going a while longer. It shudders slightly in his ribcage, asking for more. If he was just sending the food straight to his soul, he probably could have eaten all 5 and then some. 

"You sure? Didn't eat much bucko." Paps asks eying him from across the table. Red frowns inwardly. 

'whats with these dudes? why are they so....hospitable? it's almost like... they care or something.' 

The notion makes his soul twist with guilt, which adds to the uncomfortable ache of being full yet somehow starving at the same time. The little voice in the back of his head nagging at him one again. 'They're being nice to you, you don't deserve it. Waste of supplies and space. Burden.' It hisses at him softly. A boney hand snaps in front of his face as he lets the words sink in. 

"Yo. Earth to Red?" Paps calls slightly louder than his usual tone. Red blinks look back and the two concerned skeletal faces staring back at him. Shit, had they been trying to talk to him?

"sorry spaced out for a second there." Papyrus looks a bit concerned, but berry doesn't seem to notice much. 

"That it okay! I was just wondering if you would be okay on your own? Papy and I need to head to bed soon, we have work tomorrow." The little blue explained, red frowned. 

"oh uh sorry didn't mean to keep ya up." He grumbled softly. 

'They treat you with kindness and this is how you repay them? Asshole.' 

"It's alright, we don't have to go bed just yet. We should probably head that way though. Couch is yours if you want it, if you feel like you can sleep anymore?" Paps muses, red chuckles at the question. 

"i can always sleep more." He says, earning a groan from blueberry.

"Please tell me you're not lazy like Papyrus!" He says, tone full of dread, causing red and papyrus to both chuckle. 

"kid, i'm lazier." 

"You challenging me?" Papyrus asks with a lazy grin, which Red returns.

"nah, too much effort." 

They make their way into the living room, Red plops on the lumpy soft couch. Blue exits the room and comes back moments later with a pillow and blanket, which he wraps around Red's small form. Red tenses at the contact. Being touched is not a pleasant experience for him. Luckily the other two don't seem to notice. 

"Goodnight Red, sleep well friend!" 

"Night bud." The both says their goodnight and red gives them both a nod of acknowledgement. They head up the stairs and Paps follows blue into his room to read a bedtime story. Red runs his skeletal hand absentmindedly over the soft fabric of the couch. When's the last time he sat on a couch? Eh who cares, he has more pressing matters to attend to. He waits until he's sure they're out of earshot before heading to the bathroom. 

An ecto stomach is different to a human one. It doesn't digest or absorb food, only the soul can do that. It's more of a storage container than anything. Comes in handy in a world where you never know when your next meal is coming. You can save some of the food for later...or trick people into thinking you've eaten it and then do...this. 

Red turned on the facet, in an attempt to cover some of the noise, and leaned over the toilet. He opened his mouth and pressed a boney finger in, prodding at the back of his sensitive jaw bones. Almost instant he felt his stomach reflexively tense up, getting ready to push the food out. It wasn't enough though, and he knew that. He formed an ecto throat and quickly set his fingers into a practiced motion. The tugged and toyed with the dangling magic in the back of this throat, that did it. 

Eject button hit. He shuddered out a mangled noise at the familiar, yet uncomfortable sensation. The ecto stomach tensed and the food was ripped from his mouth. The toilet was soon full of bitten up tacos. His mouth was filled with the sour flavor or residual magic and he felt a bit of sweat drip from his skull. He switched the faucet off and exited the room. 

He fell back on the couch panting slightly. Doing that drained him, especially when he's as low on magic as he is. He laid down, staring at the dark ceiling, and soon found himself drifting off to dreamland. In his exhaustion, he didn't notice the pair of blue eyes watching him from the top of the stairs.

Blue wasn't sure what he'd seen, or heard. He had been going to return the puzzle book to Papy, who'd left it in his room after reading it to him. Red was making such strange noises in the bathroom. They sounded uncomfortable, almost painful but not quite. When he came out he looked exhausted and weak. It was alarming. Blue wanted to say something, see if he was okay, but he held his imaginary tongue. He didn't know what was going on, but somehow he felt that it was a bad thing. A thing that people didn't talk about, like there was some unspoken rule. Concerned, unsure, and sleepy, he sighed in defeat and went back to his own room. The puzzle book forgotten about. 

He would talk to Papy about it later. Right now he needed to get some sleep.


	9. A rude awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. 
> 
> Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter done and that I sometimes take a while to respond to comments and stuff. Things haven't been good for me the past week or so. It's really hard to get out of my own head sometimes. I'm trying guys. 
> 
> I hope this chapter is okay? It's literally 5:30 am and I haven't eaten in a few days (no appetite recently due to stress) so my brain isn't exactly 'functioning' right now. The point being I have no idea if this chapter is complete garbage or not. I've been writing for over an hour and I'd like to be done now so sorry if it's shit!
> 
> Thanks for the support, I love you guys <3

*Dreamland enter*

'stay awake dammit, stay awake.' 

Sans commands himself in his brain, over and over, as if repeating the order will make it easier to follow. Oh stars is he tired, his bones ache with each movement, begging for rest. 16 hours on 2 hours of restless sleep. It didn't help that he hadn't eaten in about three days either. He'd almost eaten some, but he stopped himself. 'boss needs this, not me' 

'just gotta make it home.. almost there'

Sans lets out an irritated grumble as the front of his skull collides with something firm and fuzzy. He blinked looking up to see what he'd bumped into, hoping it wasn't a monster. He was in no position, or mood to get into a fight right now. To his dismay, not only was it a monster, it was one of the stronger ones in town. 

"Watch it asshole!" The wolf monster roared, shoving him violently into the icy ground. 

Moments later, he was missing a tooth and several bones felt fractured. His magic levels were already almost depleted from his long day. He instantly collapsed into a boney heap on the snowy ground, stuck. He'd teleport if he had the magic to do so. And while blasters are great for scaring assholes off, he didn't even have the magic to form a bone attack, let alone a fucking skull cannon. He was stuck. No way out. No energy, no magic, no motivation. He laid there in the snow, ready to accept his fate. He saw the wolf monster charging up an attack, he closed his eyes and let his thoughts wander. 

'Papyrus. I have to look out for Papyrus . I have to take care of Papyrus. I have to keep Papyrus safe. I have to... I have to..

No..

Papyrus is safe now. He's bigger and stronger that any other monster I've met. He can take care of himself now. He doesn't need me. He couldn't possibly need me. I did it, he's strong enough to stand on his own. I can let go, let him live his life in peace.'

Sans smiles to himself, eyes still closed as he braces for the wolfs attack. He's ready for death. He whispers a silent goodbye to his brother, and waits for the end to come. But it never does. The attack is fired, you can feel the magical energy radiating out from it. But, it never hits him. There is the sound of impact, and a painful grunt seconds after. But the noise is not from sans. San's eyes snap open as he recognizes the voice. 

oh no no no no no no no no no no no no no no

Papyrus. 

Papyrus was on one knee in between the wolf monster and sans, panting slightly. Sans tries to push himself up and go check on him, but he's still so drained and in too much pain to move. He watches with wide sockets as the tall skeleton stands up and slowly approaches the wolf monster, who looks horrified but stands his ground. 

"What the fuck, you should be dead!" The wolf exclaims, clearly trying to hide his shaking voice. The glow of Papyrus's magic can be see even from behind him. A brilliant dark blood red that makes a rather beautiful contrast against the snow. 

"How dare you attack my brother you piece of shit!" He yells at the wolf monster. Before he can respond, Papyrus moves into action. A flick of his wrist and you can see the wolf's soul turn blue. He is instantly flung up several stories in the air and then comes crashing back down into the awaiting set of sharp blood red bones protruding from the ground. The wolf sheirks a horrible garbled noise as he's impaled by the bones. 

Sans blinks, getting over the shock. He's never seen Papyrus do that before. It was scary, but it mostly just made him so fucking proud. His baby brother wasn't a baby anymore. He was a man. A strong man why could defend himself easily. The thought made him so happy. 

"SANS!" his happy train of thought derailed when Papyrus called his name. It wasn't his usual happy(or this world's version of happy) tone. He sounded angry, furious, disgusted even. He wore a facial expression that matched. 

"b-bro?" sans asked, taken aback by his brothers expression. 

"Don't 'bro' me Sans, why the fuck didn't you fight back?!" He asked expectantly. Sans just stared up at him, he didn't know what to say. 

Because I'm too weak? 

Because I'm ready to die?

Because I don't deserve to live?

"Are you really that pathetically lazy??" Papyrus doesn't wait for a response before continuing. "You make me sick, get your sorry ass home before I dust you myself! You worthless welp!"

Sans scrambles to get up out of the snow despite his injuries and lack of magic. Papyrus has never been this pissed at him, and it's terrifying. The words going on endless repeat, his brother's expression burned into his mind. A feeling of panic setting over him has he rushed after his brother, ignoring the pain in his bones. 

'oh god. pap, please don't hate me.'

*Dreamland exit*

Red awoke with a shriek as some ice cold liquid splashed over him. Shaking bother from the cold and the shock he bolt up from the couch where he was sleeping. Sockets frantically darting around the room, searching. For what, he didn't know. The dream combined the abrupt awakening making it hard to think. 

"Nightmares aren't fun, sorry." 

He blinks the orange hoodie in front of him finally coming into focus. Red's mind takes a moment to play catch up. Oh yeah, he's here with this version of boss and the little blueberry. Slowly panic is replaced with rational thought as Red begins to shiver. Why is he soaking wet. Wait... papyrus is holding a cup..

"did you fuckin throw water on me?!?" 

"Had to wake ya up, you were thrashing and crying." 

Had he really been crying? Red's hand came up to feel his cheekbone. At this point he didn't know if what was was feeling was his tears or the water that had been dumped on him.

"you asshole!" He shouted, anger rising at the situation he was in. How dare this prick wake him up like that. Has he never fucking heard of gently shaking someone awake? 

"Relax friend." Papyrus had his hands raised in an offer of peace. "Should be thankin me, looks like it was a bad nightmare." 

'thankin him??' the words made reds temper flare. 

"thankin ya? im bout to dust ya!"

"Thought you couldn't hurt a papyrus?"

"try me fucker!'

His socket glowed as he could feel the blaster materialize next to him. He grinned in satisfaction at the way the taller skeletons eyes widened at it. Normally, red didn't like to show off his 'pets' but clearly this guy needed to be taught not to fuck with him. 

The surprised expression on the figure in front of him changed to a relaxed smirk far too quickly for reds liking. Why the hell isn't scared? Paps answered his unspoken question with lazy, but fluid wave of his hand. A slight spark from his socket and there it was. 

A blaster of his own. 

Now it was reds turn to gasp in surprise.


	10. Blaster to Blaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Guess who's having surgery tomorrow, and in turn has a literal zillion things to do tonight, and in turn should not be writing right now. That's right, me! Cause I'm genius and I procrastinate even when I really can't afford to!
> 
> I really wanted to get this up for you guys before I have my surgery. I am probably not going to write much during my recovery, so here is a chapter before that! It will be about two weeks before I'm back to normal, so expect roughly a two week hiatus on this story. 
> 
> I will not be home for a few days after surgery, and will not have my laptop. So forgive me if you leave a comment and I don't answer right away. Even if it takes me a while to answer I still read every single comment. I promise guys, nothing you say goes unnoticed, I see them. I do have the tumblr app on my phone though, so if you like you can message me on there as I'm more likely to respond to that faster. (Link is on my profile on here, I don't generally self promote but I figured it was worth mentioning.)
> 
> Anyway! Thanks for all the support I'm sorry this was so long. Enjoy the new chapter! Sorry it's a bit short, I generally try to make them 1000 words of more, but gahh I have no time! See you guys when I feel up to writing more!

The air in the room is so tense it almost feels solid. The two skeletons stare each other down. The tall one relaxed, seemingly finding humor in the situation. The small one stiff, almost rigid. Their blasters hovering obediently at their sides, awaiting orders. Red's mind racing, he's never seen another monster with the ability to summon blasters. 

For a moment, he considers firing. Being rid of this lanky lazy sack of bones that resembles boss about as berry resembles red. Hell, this hoodie wearing dude seems to have more in common with red than with boss. He's got that general laziness about him. The way he smirks, carries himself, it reminds Red of himself. They also seem to give about the same amount of fucks, which is not a lot. Not to mention, they both have 1hp, and now red finds out he can summon blasters too?

It's no use, they're clearly evenly matched opponents.

Coming to this realization, Red calms down a bit. His eyes glancing away from Pap's face to look at his blaster. It's bizarre, he's never seen another monsters before, besides Gasters. That's a whole other can of worms.. Anyway, the blaster looks more or less the same as his. Same basic shape, both have a few chipped pieces but no major damage. Papys blaster however, is almost twice the size of reds. 

"compensatin?" 

"For what?" 

" lil big, dont ya think?" He nods towards the blaster, paps grin widens.

"Jealous?" Red scoffs. 

"nah, little guy can still fuck shit up." Red says patting the blaster gently, feeling it rumble slightly at the affection. 

Paps takes steps towards the baster, hand held up, approaching slowly. "May I?" He asks, Red nods. The blaster eyes him wary, but doesn't attack. They are well trained and don't strike with other order. Pap reaches his hand tentatively, gently touching the blaster. It presses back into him a bit as he slowly strokes it. He smiles affectionately at it. 

"Model 6?" He asks red, who nods. "Same" He motions towards his own blaster before it disappears. He turns back to red and frowns. "Oh sorry, did you want a closer look, I can bring it back." He offers. 

"nah it's cool, prolly best of let em rest anyway. takes a lotta magic y'know?" Red can already feel the sweat on his skull forming, god he's so pathetic. Can't even summon a blaster for a few minutes without getting tired out. 

"You still feeling weak friend? I think we still have some tacos leftover. We've got a little trip to make today, you're gonna need your strength." He adds the ending seeing Reds hesitant expression. Red grits his teeth slightly.

' i dont eat dammit...' 

Unable to think of a way out of it, he accepts. He'd have to punish himself later for taking food he didn't deserve of course, but he'd deal with that later. He begrudgingly ate the food, letting bits of it absorb into his soul. It has been a while since he fed his soul properly. Maybe a little bit would be okay. After he eats a bit, he turns to Paps who's standing by the door. 

"so, where we walkin to?" 

"Not walking." Papyrus flashes him a lazy grin. 

"wha-?"

"I know a shortcut." 

A boney and encases his, and he feels himself pulled through the void.


	11. Undyne?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first. Thank you all so so so freaking much for your support. I was nervous about posting the previous authors note(which is now deleted) and explaining my absence. But you guys were so sweet and supportive. It blows my mind, I'll never understand what I did to deserve such amazing readers(will it ever not be weird to call you guys fans?) Not just with my recent rough patch, but in general. Thank you to every single one of you that comments and leaves kudos and bookmarks. I think the story just passed 100 kudos and that is crazy to me. I never imagined I'd get more than one or two, but 100+?? My brain does not compute that information. 
> 
> In other news, I am getting better! I am not fully recovered yet, but I am working on it. I feel well enough to write this chapter anyway! For those curious everything went fine with the surgery and I feel perfectly normal again :) I will be returning to work in a few days, which is great casue I am broke lol. 
> 
> Which brings up the point, I don't know how often I am going to be able to update. Work tends to be very sporadic with my schedule. I'll work six days one week and only one day the next, it changes all the time. So there is a chance I will be much busier, depending on when my work decided to schedule me. Of course I will do my very best to update as often as I possibly can, but obviously this will take a back seat to the real world if need be. 
> 
> Anyway! I'm sorry this is so long. I can never stop talking I swear. :p Enjoy the new chapter, if I ever stop dancing long enough to finish it. God damn this beat. Seriously though! Thanks once again, I love you guys, and I hope you like the chapter :)  
> Ps. Sorry the chapter is a bit on the short side and is just filler. I was having some writer's block on this one. I've been writing and rewriting this for over a week now so I'm done working on this damn chapter :p

Nothingness, as far as the eye could see. Black, endless nothingness swirled around them. If red wasn't so used to being in the void, it would have scared him. But he'd teleported so many times at this point, it didn't bother him anymore. In fact, he found comfort in the pulsating blackness surrounding him. He closed his sockets contently, letting Paps lead the way. Being in the void was the first thing to feel normal since he'd woken up in this tall skeletons bed. 

All too soon, the black faded and he felt the world around them reappear. His feet touch ground, which is cool and soft, almost moist feeling. The air around them is humid and mild temperature. The dark path in front of them is lit only by crystals on the walls and overhead. Red can tell where they are right away, Waterfall. Despite the overall calm vibe the environment gives off, he does not feel at ease. 

"It's just up here." Paps leads him down the path. Reds panic growing with each step they take. He hasn't been on this path nearly as many times as his brother, but he knows it well enough. He knows exactly what, or rather who, is awaiting them at the end of this path. 

"where are we goin?" Red asks, but it's mostly to see if Papyrus will lie. Reds no moron, he knows what's going on here .

'did you really think they would just let a good for nothing piece of trash stay with them for free? you idiot. you'll have to earn your keep.' 

"I got a friend I wanna introduce you to." Papyrus mumbles truthfully, softly pulling red along. Red plants his feet firmly on the ground, ripping his hand away from the others grasp. Paps turns around, raising his brow bone at Red. Red is visibly stiff, a single bead of sweat making it's way down his skull. His socket narrow at Paps, his body looking very much ready to fight or flee.

"how fuckin dumb do you think i am?" He spits out. Paps frowns, taking a step towards him, he takes two steps back. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"i know exactly where we're going! i know who you're takin me to! an if you think im gonna let you sell me to be a punching bag for that power hungry psychopath just cause you let me stay the night at your house, you got another thing coming buddy!" He growls, sounding like a feral animal that's been put in a cage. It wouldn't be the first time he's been 'borrowed' to Undyne for target practice. That was one of boss's favorite punishments when red was caught sleeping at his sentry post.

Cherry red magic swirling around his fingertips, ready to form a bone at a moment's notice. Paps frown deepens at the words, he doesn't look concerned at the potential attack. Then again when does he ever look concerned. This guy doesn't get excited about too much.. He does however look genuinely confused by the statements.

"Power hungry?" Papyrus's brain tried to make sense of the words. Undyne wasn't 'power hungry' where on earth did he get that impression? And psychopath? She may have done some questionable experiments in the past, but she is nowhere near deserving of the title 'psychopath'. "You sure we're thinking of the same monster here?" 

Red blinks slightly, his guard not dropping. Had this all been a misunderstanding? This was a new universe, with new(kinda) monsters. Had he been wrong? Was Papyrus not taking him to see the mad fishlady? 

"undyne?" 

"Undyne?" 

They both ask in unison. Their eye sockets meeting, both exchanging a question of 'are we talking about the same fish?" There is a heavy silence while both skeletons try to put it together in their own heads. Red goes on the defense once again, he was right after all it would seem. 

"fuckin knew it!" He snarls "tryin to pass me off to that insane blue bitch! did the second in command run outa trainin dummies or something? what's she need me for?" Red would normally never say these things about Undyne, especially not to Boss. But this wasn't boss. This big orange teddy bear with nothing to be scared of. Still, part of him was feeling a little panicky at the completely blank expression paps wore. Several more moments passed, and red was internally begging Papyrus to just say fucking say something! 

"Pffffft what?" His's laughter breaks the still air. This is not what Red had in mind. "Second in.. Undyne.. Second in command?" He asks through his giggle fit. Red frowns, not appreciating the other chuckles. It's like there's some private joke he's missing out on.

"the hells so damn funny?" He grumbles. 

Papyrus, still looking incredibly amused opens his mouth, and then shuts it. "There's something I need to show you." He explains, red frowns hesitantly. 

"Just tell me." He tries, but Paps shakes his head, a wide but still lazy grin on his face.

"No really, come and see, trust me."

And for some reason, despite, his better judgement, Red did. He tried not to let the fear show on his face as the lanky one continued leading him on.


	12. Authors Note(Bye for now)

I am sorry to announce that I am taking a break from writing and placing all stories(Not just on here, I had about 7 stories I was working on in total and this applies to all of them) on hiatus until further notice. I currently have no desire or motivation to write anything at all. I have been working on a chapter for this story for over a week now, and haven't gotten past the first sentence. Writing used to make me happy but recently I just can't be bothered with it. I have no idea when and if I'll be updating the stories again. I could feel like writing in a month, two weeks, a year, tomorrow, I just don't know. 

I wanna make it clear that I'm not stopping for mental health reasons. I feel better than I have in a long time, so you guys don't need to worry about that. I promise, if I wasn't okay I'd be honest about it. 

Also thanks once again for the support you guys are amazing! I love you all and I will still be responding to and reading comments even if I'm not writing. 

Soooo yea. 

Sorry everyone!! Feel free to yell at me in the comments if you feel the need to. 


	13. Tell me what you need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm hi?
> 
> I suspect you guys are sick of hearing how sorry I am for taking so long to update, but sorry. It's been months, and I honestly have no good excuse for you. Writer's block and mental health are not a fun combination. 
> 
> As I said in the previous authors note, I stopped updating due to lack of motivation. But today, for whatever reason, I got really inspired to write this chapter. It's completely unedited, and written in about a half an hour, so I'm not sure how good it is. Hopefully you guys will enjoy it anyway! 
> 
> I will try my absolute hardest not to take months to update again. Thank you guys for your patience and your continued support. It means a lot to me. <3 
> 
> Enjoy!

Red grumbled, but reluctantly allowed himself to be lead down the dim path. Every instinct in his body telling him 'run. this is a bad idea' but for some reason, he didn't. There was something about this papyrus that made him feel...comfortable. Maybe it was how closely he resembled boss, maybe it was how closely he resembled himself?  Or maybe he was just taking comfort in having a helping hand to guide him through this strange new and yet familiar land. Whatever the reason, red placed his trust in the taller skeleton.  

 

And so, despite knowing the path to Undyne's house, red just followed along. When papyrus gently tugged on his arm, pulling him along, red offered no resistance. He wasn't really paying much attention, glancing around the cave like structure that surrounded them.  It was starting to feel a little like home again. Following papyrus around like a duckling following its mother, this was normal. Red felt himself relax at the thought, normal was good.  His thoughts abruptly stop when he crashes into the body in front of him.

 

"ow.." he mumbles staggering backwards. His hand comes up to rub the sore spot on his skull, eyes narrowing at papyrus. 

 

"Oh sorry, you alright? I didn't' realize you weren't paying attention." He apologizes with a frown, something about his apology sparks something in Red. It sounds so.. sincere. 

 

"yeah whatever.." he grumbles, still unhappy. He looks up at papyrus, but quickly lowers his gaze. He's not used to getting looks of genuine sympathy from people, and he's not sure how to deal with it. Easier to just deflect. "so why'd ya stop?" 

 

Papyrus continues to  frown at him for a moment, before glancing away. "Were here."

 

He cocks his head slightly to the left, motioning for red to look in the direction.  He does, and instantly his breath catches in this throat. He'd been so busy grumbling at the big orange teddy bear of a skeleton, that he hadn't' seen the house that was just a few feet up ahead. He internally swore at himself... how did he not notice that?!

He stood for a moment, slack jawed and seemingly in a daze.  This place just kept getting weirder and weirder. This was undyne's house, it had to be. It was in the same area, same colors, same fish shape and everything.  On the other hand, this was most certainly not undyne's house. This house  was much more well kept. No broken windows, no structural damage, it looks like a brand new house. Not to mention the massive lab attached to it, that was definitely not something that was there last time he had seen undyne's house. 

Before he can process it too much, his brain is interrupted by papyrus again. This time by him knocking on the large, white door.  Red comes a bit closer, but not too much, almost hiding behind papyrus. He curls his arms around himself nervously as they wait for a response. Undynes not second in command for no reason.  Only monsters like boss, the very toughest of the tough weren't scared of her. 

After what feels like an eternity, there is a small trembling voice on the other side of the door. "Yes?" 

Red frowns, the voice even sounds like Undyne. But... in the way that papyrus sounds like boss. Or the way blueberry sounds like himself. The voice is missing the edge, the growly, threatening undertone is gone. It's the same voice, it's just...smoother. Like all the rough edges have been buffed out.

Papyrus doesn't answer right away, he seems to be deciding what to say.  He clears his throat, before speaking in a slightly altered voice, putting on accent and everything. It's actually pretty convincing, considering he made it up on the spot.  "Your pizza's here ma'am."  

"I didn't order any, you have the wrong house.." The voice mumbles with slight annoyance, but the main emotion that comes through is just fear. Anxiety.  A silent plea for the trespassers to just go away.  

"Are you sure? It's getting cold."  He tries again. 

"I'm sure, please leave me alone." The shaky voice comes through the door, and soft footsteps can be heard walking away. Papyrus sighs before speaking up again, but in his normal voice this time. 

"Undyne, wait!" The footsteps abruptly stop. "It's me... it's Papyrus... Please, I really need to talk to you."  There is a deafening silence coming from the other side of the door, that seems to go on forever. "It's important."  

Finally the footsteps return, there's a small click, and the door creaks open. A pair of yellow eyes peered at him through the  small crack. For a moment, nobody says anything. 

"Papyrus...?" Her voice is so quiet it's almost a whisper. He smiles gently, putting his hands into his hoodie pocket. Red listens to the conversation, hidden behind paps, it doesn't appear that undyne has noticed him yet. 

"Yeah, it's me."  There's another  moment of silence before he speaks again. "I need your help."   His words are met with a soft, exasperated noise. 

"I told you last time, I'm done trying. Whatever you're planning I want no part of it." She tells him, trying to sound firm, although he voice is still wavering. Red wonders in his head what exactly they're talking about, but he doesn't have long to ponder it before papyrus speaks again. 

"It's not about that, I swear. It's not about him."   He promises, while the question of 'who?' lingers in reds brain. Undyne searches his face, looking for a sign that he's lying. Trying to trick her into more dangerous experiments to try and bring the royal scientist back. All she finds is a look of honesty, of genuine need. He raises his brow bones slightly, silently asking for her help.  She sighs, relenting under his gaze. 

"Tell me what you need."  

"Information." Papyrus sounds slightly more at ease, and decidedly happier when he speaks. "What can you tell me about alternate universes?"

 


End file.
